Thank you for your interest, but we have closed signatures and delivered them to the Olympia Capitol groundskeepers. See press coverage of this effort here and here!

You can send your own thank you note to the following address:

Thank you, groundskeepers!

In response to ‘dandelion-gate,’ when senators spent over 20 minutes discussing and complaining about the presence of dandelions on the Olympia Capitol Campus grounds, we’ve written a thank you note to the hardworking grounds crew staff. They have been trying so hard to keep up with all the spring flowers without using pesticides! The Capitol crew has been experimenting with natural and sustainable landscaping, including organic weed control, repurposed compost and leaves used to enrich and activate soils, cardboard and wood chip layers used to suppress unwanted growth, and planting drought tolerate native plants for habitat. These changes make the area a safe and healthy environment for everyone!

Please sign this virtual thank you card and share with friends on social media. We will collect signatures until May 8, 2017 and then deliver to the groundskeeping staff.

The Capitol campus is noticeably full of spring flowers, healthy grass and historic trees!

We appreciate the hard work of the campus grounds crew and the landscapers, horticulturists, arborists, weed pullers, garbage collectors, custodians, and all the workers who take care of Olympia’s incredible and picturesque campus grounds.

Your natural and sustainable efforts make the area a safe and healthy environment for everyone–from senators to pollinators to kids to fish downstream. We appreciate your forward thinking, implementing new landscaping and turf care that reflects our values to end a reliance on harmful chemical pesticides.

I am disabled by severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and am very limited in places that I can go and participate in society because of the poisonous over- use of pesticides. Thank you for limiting pesticide use; please continue and even improve this standard, because I don’t think it should be considered “forward thinking” to choose the healthier options for the public. Pesticide free spaces mean the world to me and all living things.

P.S Consider educating senators and visiting public about the amazing benefits of dandelions, for humans and animals, and maybe so much time would not have to be spent trying to eradicate a wonderful and useful plant. Sincerely, Stacie Lerch

I was delighted to learn about the organic maintenance the staff are doing in Olympia last fall at the Seattle Public Utilities’ annual Green Gardening conference. It was the first many of us in the room had learned that one can buy corrugated board in rolls, for sheet mulching. What a great idea!! The work being done by the WA state capitol crew is an inspiration to many. Thank you so very, very much!

I was at the Capital last week and it looked beautiful! I saw the crew working hard to tend to our lovely state capital campus – thank you!!

Holly Reed signed
2017-04-25 14:27:03 -0700

Thank you so much for the hard work you do. The capital grounds look beautiful. I enjoy them regularly during my evening walks. I really appreciate the sustainable landscape, especially the long grass that was left to grow last year. I was like a beautiful meadow. Keep up the good work.